Snapshots
by KittiKat626
Summary: IchiRuki If you thought their life was nuts, then follow the lives of their children. Four boys, two girls, and a lot of love follows this crazy family through big bugs, crushes, school, and so much more. —ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!—
1. Sticks and Snails

This is the continuation to both **Shadows In The Night** ( Part 1 ), and **Whispers In Your Heart** ( Part II ).

**Title: **Snapshots  
**Rating:** K+  
**Pairings: **Ichigo/Rukia — Ishida/Orihime  
**Genres: **Romance/Humor/Family  
**AU?: **AU timeline, same Bleach universe.  
**Summary: _IchiRuki_** If you thought _their_ life was nuts, then follow the lives of their children. Four boys, two girls, two Shinigami parents, and a lot of love follows this crazy family through big bugs, crushes, school, and playground disasters.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach! Thanks to **CrystalRaindrop007** for beta'ing!

_Kids Name's and Age's:_

_M — Male, F — Female_

**Michio**(M) — 11  
**Raye**(F) — 11  
**Anyame**(F) — 7  
**Kaname**(M) — 5  
**Yuki**(M) — 3  
**Sanyu**(M) — 1

* * *

_What are little boys made of?  
Why, sticks and snails,  
And puppy dogs' tails.  
_That's _what little boys are made of..._

* * *

**Snapshots — I**

**_June 26th, 2015 — 2:12 PM_**

"Moooommy! There's something moving in ma _head_!"

Loud crying followed black, spiky hair and bright violet eyes through the halls of the loud, but comfortable Kurosaki home. As soon as little, sock clad feet screeched to a stop in front of the young woman in the kitchen, the crying continued.

"Mommy! Mommy! _Moooommy_!"

Kurosaki Rukia bent down in front of the young boy and smiled softly. "What's wrong, Yuki?" she asked, ruffling the hair of her little, three-year-old son. The little boy was bouncing up and down, his arms waving frantically in the air and his violet eyes wide.

"Mooommy! There's something moving in ma _head_!"

Rukia almost began laughing, but decided she needed to find out if his brain had become self-aware before she did. Her violet eyes were twinlking as she brushed raven hair out of her eyes. Her small frame was nearly shaking with contained laughter as she brushed Yuki's hair back.

"Yuki, calm down a little bit, all right? _Explain_, please."

"I was playin' with Sanyu an' something flew in my ear _and now something's moving in ma head_!"

The little boy was totally freaking out. He was beginning to cry, and Rukia gently picked him up in her arms. She sat him on the counter and grabbed a flashlight out of the kitchen drawer. Shining it in Yuki's ear, she frowned, realizing exactly what was wrong.

"There's a bug in your ear, sweetie. We're going to go to the doctor, and the nice man is going to get it out, all right?"

"I want _mommy_ to get it out!"

Rukia sighed, looked at the clock, and realized that it was about time for the kids to get home from school, so she couldn't leave for at least five more minutes. Yuki was frantic, and he was crying hard.

"Look, Yuki. We can't go to the doctor for about ten minutes, so I need you to calm down a little, all right? The bug can't _possibly _hurt you. Here, let me call daddy, and you can talk to him."

Since she knew that talking to his daddy would calm him down, Rukia picked up the phone and punched in Ichigo's cell number. After he picked up, she hurriedly told him what had happened, and handed the phone to Yuki, who was wiping his tears on his shirt.

"Daddy?"

She picked him up and placed him on the couch while she ran into the other room to grab Sanyu. When she found him, he was chewing on his blankey. She smiled, saying, "Hey, little man. How are we today?"

Sanyu looked up at Rukia and grinned, his bright amber eyes glowing, and held out his chubby little hands.

"Mama!"

She took him into her arms and smiled, pushing down his orange hair as she laid him on the changing table. After quickly changing his diaper and dressing him in a pair of dark jean overalls, she quickly put a pair of socks on his tiny, baby feet and grabbed his diaper bag. When she went back into the living room, Yuki was still on the phone with Ichigo. His tears were dried, but his face was bright red.

"I gots a bug in ma ear, daddy. Mommy's gonna make the doctor man get it out," he said. "Can I tell ma friend?"

Ichigo said something on the other end that made Yuki laugh, and as Rukia placed the baby down by his brother, she ran to the door as the school bus pulled up. She walked outside to see two of her four school-age children. Michio was holding Kaname's hand, and Kaname was bouncing along happily, holding the picture he'd drawn in his Kindergarten class.

"Hi, mom!" Michio greeted, smiling, as he walked inside the house. "Anyame and Raye are already and grandpa's. He picked 'em up at school.

Rukia smiled back and kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Hello, Michio. That's good; I won't need to drop them off. Now, I need you and Kaname to put your backpacks down and get in the car. Yuki needs to go to the doctor. Come on, hurry."

Soon, all four boys were packed into the car. Sanyu was sleeping in his carseat and Yuki was still talking on the phone. Before they drove away, however, Rukia took the cell from her little son and stuck it up to her ear.

"Hey, Ichigo. We're leaving now, and we're going to lose cell reception. I'll call you from the doctor's."

"All right. Is he gonna be OK, Rukia?" asked a worried Ichigo. Rukia laughed; he honestly worried far too much.

"He's going to be just fine. Now get back to work. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

She hung up the cell and seated Yuki in the front seat, quickly buckling him and making sure that Michio and Kaname were safe in the backseat. Then, she went about sixty-five miles per hour to the doctor's office. It was about half an hour away, and Yuki began crying about ten minutes into the trip.

"Mommy! Mommy, it's _movin'_ again! Make it stop, make it stop!"

Rukia honestly didn't know what to do. Sure, she'd dealt with broken arms, bloody noses, and scraped knees before, but this was totally different. Her tiny son had a bug stuck in his ear, and it wouldn't stop moving. He was scared and crying, and she couldn't comfort him because she had to drive.

Biting her lip, she reached over and took Yuki's hand into hers.

"Hey, sweetie, I can't do anything about the bug, but the doctor man can. He's going to get it out for you, all right? But you have to be brave until we get there. Can you be brave, baby?"

She took her eyes off of the road only for a second at a time to look at Yuki, but when she caught his eye, he nodded, wiping his tears away with a shaky hand as he said,

"Yeah. I can be bwave, mommy."

She smiled and ruffled his hair.

"That's my boy."

He grinned, but his grin fell soon. Rukia could guess that the bug was moving, and apparently, so could Kaname.

"Yuki gots a bug in his ear!" Kaname said, giggling as he wiggled in his seat beside his baby brother, who had woken up and was now crying in his carseat. "A bug, a bug, a bug!"

Michio was trying not to laugh as he reached over and punched Kaname lightly on the head. The younger boy reached up and put his hand over the sore spot as he stuck out his bottom lip and pouted.

"Whatcha do that for, Michi!?"

"Stuff it. Yuki's scared enough without you poking at him."

Kaname continued to pout, but mumbled, "Sorry, Yuki."

"S'ok!" he replied, his voice shaking a little as he swung his feet back and forth in the front seat.

"Hmmm..." Kaname pondered, his chin in his hands as he stared forward. "I wonder what kind of bug it is."

"Probably a fly," Rukia said quickly, hoping that it would be the end of the conversation. But apparently, it was a topic that interested Michio, so he joined in.

"Could be a mosquito."

"Or a puppy!"

"Kaname, _that's_ not a bug."

"Oh. Then maybe a... a... a.. maybe it's a trojan horse fly!"

"What's a trojan horse fly?"

"I dunno, Michi, but someone in school was talkin' about it."

"Oooh... I wonder if it's big..." Michio said curiously, leaning over his seat to try and look into Yuki's ear. Rukia flicked him softly on the head, and he leaned back.

"Probably. It might be huge!" Kaname added.

"As big as a _horse_!"

At this point, Yuki had begun to cry loudly again and both boys knew it was time to shut up. Of course, Rukia's glare might have helped them come to that conclusion. But Sanyu, who had been crying up until this point, felt the intense need to add something to the conversation, so he began to chant "Bug, bug, bug!" over and over happily as he bounced his little, diapered butt up and down in his carseat.

And Rukia, poor, poor Rukia, who was trying desperately to concentrate on driving, was about to lose her mind.

Usually, she had her two girls in the car to tone out some of the boy's noise, but this time, she had Sanyu screeching, Yuki crying, and Kaname and Michio debating on how huge the bug in Yuki's ear was.

"At least five inches."

"No, a foot long!"

"As big as meee!" Kaname giggled.

Finally, _finally_, they arrived at the doctor's office, and Rukia lined up the boys. She put Sanyu in Michio's arms, and had both him and Kaname march silently into the office while she picked Yuki out of the car.

"Sit," she ordered. They followed her command and dropped quietly into the squishy seats in the office while Rukia walked up to the front desk. By this time, Yuki was twisting his ear with his fingers as he bit his lip and tried not to cry.

"Mooommy, _it's movin' again_..."

Rukia smiled and kissed him on the forehead.

"I know sweetie, but just be brave a little bit longer, all right?"

He nodded, and the man at the desk finally looked up.

"Ah, Mrs. Kurosaki. What can I help you with today?"

Rukia smirked. They were in the office so often that the man knew them all by name. All in the last month, she'd been in for a pregnancy test—which had been negative, _thank God_—Michio and Raye had been in for sports physicals before they were allowed to play on their school soccer team, Sanyu had been in for his routine baby check-up, Kaname, Anyame and Raye had all been in for Chicken Pox and Sanyu and Michio had come down with the flu only a week and half before.

"My son has a bug stuck in his ear. Can you _please_ get it out?"

The man, who's name tag read "Ryu", laughed softly as he quickly checked the schedule.

"Yeah, actually. We just had a cancellation. I can get you in right away."

Rukia breathed a sigh of relief as Yuki began to whimper again.

"Thank goodness."

Ryu laughed. "I know the feeling, I have three of my own at home. Anyway, for the moment, please take a seat, and say "hi" to Michio and Kaname for me."

Rukia nodded, then walked over to where her three boys were, for once in their life, sitting absolutely still and silent.

"Momma, can they get the bug out, or is it gonna be stuck in Yuki's ear forever and ever?" Kaname asked curiously. His question only made Yuki whimper more, and Rukia answered quickly,

"No, no! They're getting it out right away. He's going to be just fine." She smiled and wiped his sweaty hair out of his eyes as he curled his tiny body in her arms more.

"Mommy..."

Rukia hugged him close and began to hum a little. The tiny boy closed his eyes sleepily, and several of the mothers in the office smiled at Rukia. One of them moved closer and asked curiously,

"Are you _sure _you're old enough to have four kids?"

"Oh," Rukia said, smiling, "I have six. My girls are at their grandfather's for the weekend."

"Oh, God," the woman said, a horror-striken look on her face. "_Six_? I can barely deal with my two! And how can you be so thin after _six_ pregnancies?"

Rukia laughed. "Well, my boys are good boys," she said, smiling at Kaname and Michio. "They help out. One of my pregnancies was twins, so only five. And I'm only twenty-nine. Who knows? My husband is set on breaking the world record of children in one household, it seems, and we might end up having ten more."

The woman laughed, and Rukia was about to add something else to the conversation when the doctor came up and called for Kurosaki.

"Well, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, though. Michio, Kaname!"

They jumped up and followed single file behind her into the back office. They knew when they were in public, they had to obey or they would be in _huge_ trouble. She let them be monsters at home, but when they were in public, they had to be angels.

The doctor took Yuki from Rukia's arms and sat him on the table. After quickly pulling up his chart, he turned to look at Rukia.

"Hi, I'm the new doctor here. Um... what's your relation to these children? Are you their sister?"

Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes. Just because she was a little woman she was always questioned about being a mother.

"No, these are my kids. Michio, Kaname, this is Yuki with a bug in his ear, and then my baby is Sanyu."

"Oh..." The doctor still looked doubtful, but shrugged. "A bug, you say? Well, let's see what we can do."

After a fair amount of Yuki whimpering and a lot of digging in his ear, the doctor finally pulled the bug out. It was a small fly, and Yuki immediately chirped,

"Can I keep it, mommy?"

**_▫ End ▫_**

* * *

_And _thus concludes the _insane_ first story involving the family of Kurosaki. Hope you liked it! I will be adding more, but this is just going to be a one-shot collection. The stories might have an order to them, and they might not. Most likely, **not**. Random snippits in the the life of the large and insane Kurosaki family.

**Next update: **Who do you want to see as the man character next? Michio, Raye, Anyame, Kaname, Yuki, or Sanyu? Give me ideas!

Oh! And this story idea came from CrystalRaindrop. S_he_ got a bug stuck in her ear, and I kind of borrowed the idea.

**_Please Review!_**


	2. Rain Rain, Go Away

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Ichigo and Rukia. I own... _(Takes deep breath)_ ...Michio, Raye, Anyame, Kaname, Yuki and Sanyu. I also own Aki (IshiHime child) and any other children I add in. Probably none, but still...

* * *

_An itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout,  
Down cam the rain and washed the spider out.  
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain,  
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again._

* * *

**Snapshots II**

**_June 28th, 2015 — 3:20 AM_**

Ichigo was having a very pleasant dream about him and Rukia—that didn't involve a mini-army of children—when he was awoken to the sounds of a loud thunderstorm outside, loud whispering and the soft steps of little feet.

Lots and _lots_ of little feet.

Forcing himself to open one sleepy, amber eye, he looked out from under his heavy quilt to see six pairs of eyes blinking back at him. He groaned, rolled over, and blinked a few times to clear his vision of the fuzziness that had set over them.

Another clap of thunder, and his smallest son, besides the baby, squeaked and jumped under the quilt to hug daddy tightly. Violet eyes were filled with tears as Ichigo lifted the quilt to stare into the face of Yuki, his baby boy.

"Daddy! I scared!"

Ichigo let out the smallest of laughs as his other five children began to climb into the bed. Michio hung behind, a hesitant look on his face as he stared down at Sanyu, his littlest brother. Ichigo smiled at him and motioned him forward.

"C'mon, Michio. Hop in."

Five pairs of eyes blinked happily at their big brother, and he gave in as he crawled beside Kaname.

"OK, but I'm only doing it because Sanyu wants me to. I'm too old to climb in mom and dad's bed every time it storms," he said quickly as he snuggled close to his family. Ichigo smiled and shook his head. He could still remember the day that his son was born; he'd been so small, and every night until he was two, he always wanted to sleep with mommy and daddy, and if he didn't get to, he would scream all night and keep his sister awake in the process.

"Mmm... Ichi... go?"

Rukia, who had just awoken, stared back at both Kaname and Anyame, who were on either side of her.

"Ichigo...?"

He smiled and leaned over Yuki to kiss her on the forehead.

"The children were scared. Let 'em sleep here tonight."

Rukia smiled and nodded sleepily as Kaname wrapped his little hands around her waist and laid his head on her stomach. Ichigo watched, a smile on his own face.

"Mommy?" Anyame whispered, turning to Rukia as she tugged on the sleeves of her bunny-clad pajamas. "I don't like the storm."

"Me too!" Yuki added, his head buried in Ichigo's chest as another clap of thunder hit. He was whimpering quietly, his violet eyes clenched tightly shut until the thunder stopped.

"Want to hear a story?" Ichigo asked. Six pairs of hopeful eyes turned to him, and he laughed. "Fine, fine. Hmm... what story do you want to hear?"

"Um..." Michio seemed deep in thought; he was the only one thinking, actually. Before he could come to a conclusion, though, Sanyu squeaked,

"Mamamama!"

Rukia groaned, taking the baby from Michio as the older boy snapped his fingers.

"I wanna hear about... um... I don't know."

Ichigo laughed.

"How about you guys tell mommy and daddy stories," Rukia suggested, moving herself into a sitting position as she gently rubbed Sanyu's back in attempt to make him sleepy. It was working, because the baby's eyes were slowly beginning to close.

"OK!" Michio agreed. "Raye can tell you about her boyfriend!"

Raye dove under the covers, a blush covering her cheeks as Ichigo's head turned to look at his oldest daughter so fast that he made himself dizzy.

"Raye... do you have something to tell us?" he asked firmly. Rukia felt herself grinning widely as she watched her husband. Oh, boy. Her little girl's first boyfriend. Ichigo was far too protective of his girls to start with;_ this_ was going to be exciting.

Raye peaked out from under the quilt, her ice blue eyes shining as she grinned. "_Not_ my boyfriend!"

"Michio?" Ichigo asked. He was getting two different answers, and he didn't like it.

"Well, I saw them holdin' hands, and then _he_ kissed her on the cheek."

Ichigo's gaze shifted back to Raye, and both Anyame and Kaname were beginning to giggle. Yuki didn't quite understand what was going on, and Michio was looking triumphant; he'd successfully shared his sister's biggest secret with half of the world.

"He's um... my_ friend_..."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, then let out a huge sigh.

"Name?"

"Raye."

"No, _his_ name."

"Oh! Takashi."

"Age?"

"12."

"Why did he kiss you?"

"Dunno. Ask him."

"I think I will..."

Rukia reached over and punched Ichigo in the shoulder. He sent her a very wounded look and did his very best to look like a kicked puppy.

"What was that for?"

"Leave her alone," Rukia said, laughing. "She has a friend, so what? I've seen Michio playing with girls before."

"Mom!" Michio protested loudly, a blush covering his cheeks. Ichigo's eyes grew wide as he turned his gaze o his son. Deciding against interrogation, he sighed and flopped back down on the bed as another clap of thunder sounded.

"Geez! What is the world coming to? My kids are only eleven, and they're already hanging out with the opposite sex!"

"We learned about sex," Raye added happily. "In health class."

"Well, remind me to take you _out_ of health class," Ichigo said dryly, rolling his eyes.

"But health class is fun! We learn about other stuff, too. Did you know that plants can sexually reproduce?" Michio asked, grinning as Kaname and Yuki frowned deeply, their little brains working overtime to try and understand what their older siblings were saying. Anyame already knew, so she added,

"Uh huh. I learned that, too. No, wait... that was in Science. But I haven't learned about sex yet—"

"That's enough!" Ichigo said, cupping his hands over his ears. He looked over at Rukia, who actually looked interested, and said quickly, "No more. And tomorrow, I'm going to talk to your teachers. You're eleven, eleven and seven for God's sake!"

Kaname giggled. "Daddy rhymed. Eleven, eleven, seven-eleven... nooo, heavenly eleventy-seven!"

Anyame rolled her eyes at her little brother. She jumped over Rukia and landed on top of him, her little hand beginning to tickle his tummy. He stopped chanting and began to giggle loudly.

"M-Mommy, ma-make her s-s-s-stop!"

He continued to giggle, Rukia continued to do nothing, and Ichigo sighed as he dropped back down onto the bed.

"Sleep!" he commanded, grabbing his pillow and pulling it over his head to block out the noise of his children. Said children all blinked at him before going back to what they were doing. Rukia, seeing that Ichigo was about to lose it, gently said,

"Kids, do that your father says. Either calm down, or go back to your own rooms."

In three seconds flat, all six children were laying quietly under the covers, their little eyes closed and their breathing soft as they tried to sleep. Ichigo gave Rukia an unbelieving look, and she shrugged, her motion making Sanyu slide off of her chest, where he was sleeping peacefully, a little. After repositioning him, she said,

"I spend more than twelve hours a day with them. I might be small—no smart ass comments, Ichigo—but I can be tough. Now sleep."

Ichigo nodded, but then sighed as he looked over at his wife.

"How come Sanyu gets to sleep there and I don't?"

She responded to his question with a kick to the shins—after making sure no children would be in the line of fire—and after mumbling for a minute, he finally shut up and drifted to sleep.

Sighing to herself and closing her eyes, Rukia turned on her side and held Sanyu close. As her eyelids grew heavy and she knew she was close to sleep, she heard Michio's soft voice singing quietly.

_"Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day..."_

And she smiled.

**○ END ○**

* * *

_Hmm..._ whatcha think? This one was more Raye and Michio centric, but was everyone centric at the same time.

**NOTE: **Next story is going to have to do with Ichigo, Rukia and all six kids on a train. In a small space. But what after that? Hmm? **You** vote! If I like an idea, I'll do it. Thanks to **therealanon2.bunnisteffi** for the train idea!

**NOTE2:** I updated **Concrete Angel** yesterday, so if you missed it, go read it! Please?

**_Please Review!_**


	3. The Little Train

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Ichigo and Rukia. I own... _(Takes deep breath)_ ...Michio, Raye, Anyame, Kaname, Yuki and Sanyu. I also own Aki (IshiHime child) and any other children I add in. Probably none, but still...

* * *

_The little train,  
Goes up the track.  
It says, "Toot, toot!"  
And comes right back._

* * *

**Snapshots III**

**_June 30th, 2015 — 11:10 AM_**

"Mommy! Lookit, a _train_!"

Kaname's eyes were bright and wide as he tried to pull his hand out of his mother's grip. She was trying desperately to hold him back, and Ichigo was trying not to laugh as he paid for the train tickets. Kaname was frantic now.

"Mommy, lemme go! I wanna _touch it_!"

Rukia couldn't help but smile at the look in her son's eyes as she finally gave up and picked him into her arms. He still squirmed, but as he realized he wasn't getting loose, he became less and less frantic.

"Mommy, can we go now?" Yuki asked, his own eyes shining as he gripped his older brother's hand. Michio, who was holding both his baby brother and his three-year-old brother, smiled.

"Yeah, can we go, mom?"

He'd been on a train before, but his reaction the first time was a lot like Kaname's. He'd wanted to touch it. Of course, he'd been seven, and his mom and dad had several other children to watch over, so he'd escaped and had been able to touch it and pet it until they realized he was gone.

Since then, Ichigo and Rukia had gotten a lot more used to watching six kids, and both Michio and Kaname knew there was no way he'd escape.

"Mooommy!" he pouted loudly, pouting as he patted her shoulder again and again. "Go, go, go!"

Ichigo, tickets in hand, walked over and took his son from Rukia. She smiled in thanks and Michio passed her Sanyu. The girls in tow, they all started to walk toward the train. Kaname was bouncing up and down in his dad's arms, reaching out so he'd be the first one to touch the train. Yuki, sensing his brother's intentions, ran forward and touched it before Kaname could reach.

Of course, the slightly older boy burst into tears. Yuki just laughed and Rukia groaned.

This was going to be a _long_ trip.

Kaname still crying, Yuki smiling brightly, and Raye and Michio each holding a child, they all climbed into the train and headed to their seats. Ichigo opened the door to the small compartment and let Rukia in first. Raye, with Yuki in her arms, and Anyame followed. Then, all the boys trooped inside. Ichigo followed last, and the small door was closed.

"All right, kids. Ground rules: No going outside unless you have to use the restroom. If you do, Michio or Raye goes with you. No being loud. Your mother is tired. No fighting, no food fights, no stretching across the whole seat and sleeping. No roughhousing, no bugs. Understand? This trip is going to be long," Ichigo said firmly, staring each child in the eye.

They all nodded. Daddy-Drill-Sargent was scary when he wanted to enforce rules.

"Can I have ma bunny?" Yuki asked, smiling as he climbed into Rukia's lap.

Rukia nodded and reached into the diaper bag to pull out her son's blue and green polka-dotted stuffed bunny. She also took out a pair of blue earplugs that were connected with a small string and stuck them gently into Yuki's ears.

"Better?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "No bugs can get in ma ears," he said, smiling as he hugged the stuffed bunny. The doctor had given him the ear plugs when he had cried and screamed in the office. He had grabbed hold of the exam bed and had announced loudly he wasn't going outside because the bugs would get in his ears again.

"Mommy, I have to pee," Kaname announced, wiggling in his seat and biting his lip.

"Me, too!" Yuki chirped, bouncing up and down as Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Hold it."

"But I don't wanna!" Yuki protested, his violet eyes wide as he stared at his father.

"I'll take them," Michio said, standing to his feet and reaching out to grab the hands of both Kaname and Yuki.

"Thank you, Michio. Could you take Sanyu, too? He needs his diaper changed," Rukia said, smiling at her son. He nodded and took his little brother into his arms after grabbing the diaper bag.

Kaname and Yuki jumped up happily and skipped out of the train compartment. Michio highly doubted that they had to use the restroom, but he knew that both his mom and dad had been up almost all night caring for Anyame, who had been sick and throwing up. She seemed a little better now, but she was still running a fever and his parents were worn out.

But he could help by taking the little ones off their hands for a bit. He was eleven and he was a big boy. He could change a diaper and help his brothers use the restroom easily.

"Michi, can we get some candy on the way back?" Yuki asked, staring at the snack compartment as they walked through the halls to reach the restroom.

"We'll see," Michio said in a firm voice, grinning to himself. He was acting like his dad!

"Oh. Em'k!"

Kaname seemed to be over his turmoil of not being able to touch the train first as he looked at everything they passed with huge, wide eyes. Michio had to give him a gentle push every now and then to keep him moving.

When they reached the restroom, Michio pushed his brothers inside and led them into the large stall where he told Kaname to stand in the corner while Yuki went first. This, of course, led to a fight about who _actually_ went first. Michio ignored them as he pulled out the changing table and set Sanyu on it.

"I said I had to pee first, so I go first!" Kaname challenged. Yuki frowned and pouted.

"Nuh uh! I do!"

"Meee!"

"I gotsa pee worser!"

Two pairs of violet eyes stared at each other, and Michio continued to ignore them.

"I go first!"

"_I_ go first!"

"Waa! I peed!"

Yuki, who had loudly proclaimed such an action, began giggling loudly. Kaname, who considered himself the victor, grinned as he hopped on the toilet. Michio, who was trying not to yell at his brothers, finished cleaning up Sanyu and left him on the changing table after making sure that he was safely buckled in. He then began to shuffle through the diaper bag, where Rukia kept a clean pair of clothing for each Sanyu, Yuki and Kaname, because they often had accidents like this.

"C'mere, Yuki," he said kindly, smiling as the little boy's giggled turned into sobs. He didn't like being dirty.

"I sorry!" he said, his eyes going wide as he slowly shuffled over to his brother.

"It's fine," Michio said, reaching to take off his brother's jeans. After cleaning him with diaper wipes, he dressed Yuki in a fresh pair of underclothing and a pair of dark, jean overalls. Yuki was crying loudly by now, and Michio was glad they were the only ones in the bathroom.

"Mommy and daddy will be mad!"

Michio ruffled Yuki's hair and smiled to himself.

"No they won't, Yuki. Just wait and see. They won't be mad at all."

Little fists wiped at tears as they rolled down his red cheeks.

"Really?"

"Really."

Michio was proud of himself as he helped his brother's wash their hands. Sanyu was in his arms again, and the baby hadn't even squeaked since they started their journey to the bathroom. But now he felt as though he needed to add his opinion, so he began to babble. None of his words made sense, so Michio gave him his pacifier and took Yuki's hand as they began to walk back.

As they passed the candy counter, he could see his little brother's eyes straying toward it. He knew that Yuki wouldn't ask again because of his accident—he was still worried people would be mad at him—so Michio paused and shuffled in his pocket to see if he had brought the dollar he'd proudly received when he'd lost a tooth. He had.

"Can I have five suckers?" he asked, standing on his tip toes to stare at the man behind the counter. "I have a dollar. I can't get one for my baby brother, and that's why I need only five instead of six. My parents won'y let the baby have suckers."

"Beebee!" Yuki agreed happily.

The man smiled at the four boys and said, "They're fifteen cents each, so you have enough."

"Yay," Michio said, handing the dollar to the man and receiving his change happily. He stared at the few pennies and the nickle, and pocketed it without a second thought. He was saving for a toy car, but when he saw the happy look in both Yuki and Kaname's eyes, he knew he'd made the right choice.

"C'mon, guys. Let's get back to mommy and daddy!"

It had been forever since he'd called them anything but "mom" and "dad", and it felt kind of refreshing.

"I want the green sucker!" Kaname said happily, jumping up to try and reach his treat.

Michio laughed and handed it to him while Yuki bit his lip, staring at the four suckers left, trying to figure out which one he wanted. Finally, he settled on the red one.

" 'Cause it's my favorite color," he explained, popping it into his mouth as he grabbed his older brother's hand again. "I love you, Michi!" he announced, his eyes shining as he hugged his big brother.

Michio could feel his heart swelling with pride as he watched his little brothers. Sure, he'd spent his saving money, but he knew that it was worth it. It was worth it just to be a big brother and be able to take care of the little ones.

And it was worth it to see them smile as they found a window and excitedly jumped up and down, trying to see out as the train whizzed past trees, houses and buildings. He knew he loved being a big brother.

"Michio!" Kaname said happily, jumping up and down. "Come look! Preeeetty!"

He came, and as Sanyu continued to chirp happily in his arms, he felt himself grinning hugely.

"Thank you, guys," he said, placing a hand on Kaname's head and then on Yuki's. Both boys blinked up at him, and Yuki asked,

"What for, Michi?"

"For being _my_ little brothers."

**○ END ○**

**_

* * *

_**_Awww..._ I just felt like getting some brother-brother interaction in there. Sorry the train ride didn't go very far. That wasn't the point of this story. Well, not really. Anywho, this was Michio-Kaname-Yuki centric. 

**Ideas?** Send them in! Also, note that I'm using a nursery rhyme at the beginning of each chapter. If you suggest an idea, please suggest a rhyme to go with it. Also, I cannot use all of the ideas submitted. Sorry! I will use only the ones I really like.

Thank you!

**_Please Review!_**


	4. Little Miss Muffet

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Ichigo and Rukia. I own... _(Takes deep breath)_ ...Michio, Raye, Anyame, Kaname, Yuki and Sanyu. I also own Aki (IshiHime child) and any other children I add in.  
And I don't own the nursery rhyme!

* * *

_Little Miss Muffet  
Sat on a tuffet,  
Eating of curds and whey;  
Then there came a spider,  
And sat down beside her,  
And frightened Miss Muffet away._

* * *

**Snapshots IV**

**_July 2nd, 2015 — 8:00 AM_**

It was Saturday, and it was _hell_ in the Kurosaki home.

Raye and Michio were fighting over the TV remote, Anyame was humming loudly as she did her Sudoku puzzle, Kaname was driving his toy cars noisily up Yuki's leg, and Yuki was whining loudly because of this. Of course, Sanyu, who intensely disliked being left out of _anything_, was crying loud enough to shatter the windows. Ichigo was at work, and Rukia...

... Rukia was considering selling her children on Ebay.

Nothing she said or did made them be quiet. She'd sent them outside and they started screeching loudly enough to wake the dead as they ran away from each other in their highly interactive game of tag. Inside, she'd tried to get them to read books, which had led to Yuki and Kaname not knowing _how_ to read and Michio being sick of reading, as he'd hid under his quilt with a flashlight the night before until three in the morning to finish his book.

She'd suggested sleeping... and that idea was highly opposed.

So now, she had decided to let them run wild.

Because of was just one of _those _days.

But, after about twenty minutes, she decided that _maybe_ it hadn't been the best of ideas after all. So, she rolled her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and took command.

"Raye, let Michio have the controller for half an hour, and then _you_ get it for half an hour. Kaname, drive your cars up the _couch_, and _not_ your brother's leg. Yuki, get your nursery rhyme book, and I'll read to you. And for Sanyu, it's nap time."

Smiling, she picked up the crying baby from his blanket on the floor and began to walk to the nursery.

"Anyame, could you pick up Sanyu's toys and blankets?"

The young girl nodded and grinned as she jumped to her feet and went about her task. She was following her mother into the nursery with the baby's stuff when Raye screeched loudly.

"Ahh! Michio, gimmie that controller! _Chappy the Bunny_ is on! I swear, you can have it all you want later! Pleeease!" she begged, sticking out her bottom lip and attempting to pull off the "kicked-puppy" look that her mom gave her dad with all the time. Daddy let Mommy have almost anything when she gave him _that_ look.

"You know mom only lets us watch half an hour of TV a day, and I'm not wasting it on your _bunnies_! I wanna watch something else."

"Michio, give her the controller!" Rukia called from the nursery. "You watched your show yesterday, and I said you _each_ get it for half an hour today. You don't even know what you want to watch, so don't be mean."

"Yes, ma'am," he grumbled, dropping the controller in his sister's hand. She smiled, thanked him, and went about watching her show, her eyes wide as the bright, colorful bunnies began to appear.

Shaking her head at her sister, Anyame continued on her way. When she entered the nursery, she watched her mommy place Sanyu gently into his crib. The baby's sleepy eyes were beginning to close as his little body was placed on the soft, blue blankets.

"Mommy," Anyame started, shuffling around as she put Sanyu's stuffed animals and plastic toys in their places. "How come Kaname, Yuki and Sanyu all had to be boys? Can I get a little _sister_ sometime?"

Rukia laughed softly as she walked over and began to fold the blankets that she had set out earlier for Sanyu to lay on.

"Possibly. Maybe the next baby will be a girl. I really don't have any power over it, you know. But I would like to have another girl, yes. Besides, I'm sure you dad isn't nearly through. I think he wants to break the world record of one children in a household, so don't worry, sweetie. You'll get a sister someday," Rukia said, ruffling her daughter's raven hair and putting the now folded blankets on top of the large stack that her babies had been using since Kaname was born.

She was just about to flip off the light and walk out of the silent nursery when Yuki's scream echoed through the house and four pairs of feet shuffled loudly down the hallway.

"Mooommy! _Spiiiiider_!"

Yuki, his bright violet eyes wide and scared, bolted behind Rukia, his hands gripping her leg tightly as Kaname joined his brother behind the safely of Mommy's legs.

Yuki continued to scream.

"Mommy! Spider! It's _huuuge_ and it's gonna _eat us all_!"

Rukia rolled her eyes again as Raye and Michio entered the room, peeking out into the living room as if the spider had followed them for some unknown reason.

"Mommy! Mommy! _Mommy_!" Yuki chanted, jumping up and down urgently, his eyes wide and his hands urgently tugging at her skirt. "You needs to get the spider, 'cause it's gonna eat us all and take over the world if you don't!"

It had been around the time that Yuki was two that she'd figured out that her role in life was a lot more than wife and mother. It was also spider exterminator, carrot hunter, story teller, bathtub lifeguard, lego statue protector, alien fighter, and much, much more.

Life with Yuki was never dull, because his imagination was always ready to burst with silly ideas and aliens and mutant spiders.

"Stupid! It won't take over the world!" Kaname argued. "I'll bite us and turn _us_ into spiders, too!"

"Waaah! I don't _wants_ to be a spider!"

By this time, Sanyu had woken up and was wiggling about in his crib, crying loudly, his little face red and scrunched up.

"Kaname, Yuki, shhh!" Rukia said, putting her finger to her lips as she picked Sanyu out of his crib and handed him to Raye. She bent down in front of her two little sons and placed a hand on each of their heads. "Shhh," she said again, "or the spider will be able to find us! He can't see us now, because he can only _hear_ us! If you're not silent, he _will _come and turn you into spiders!" she whispered with fake urgency.

Kaname and Yuki immediately slapped their hands over their mouths as Michio rolled his eyes.

"We bees quiet, Mommy," Yuki said, nodding as his bare feet shuffled on the soft, blue carpet. "Now mommy gets the spider!" he said, jabbing his finger several times in the direction of the living room. Rukia nodded, grabbed a broom and began walking out with Kaname and Yuki in tow.

"Momma, you can't kill the spider, that's mean!" Anyame interrupted, running forward and putting her arms out to stop Rukia. "Just put it outside!"

"But it'll turn us into giant, mutant spiders when we plays tag!" Yuki said, frowning as he ran forward and tried to push Anyame out of the way. "Mommy, kills it! Kills it!

"No killing!"

"Kills it!"

"No!"

Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes for what seemed the millionth time that day.

"How about this; I'll catch and keep it in a jar until Daddy comes home. Then I can make him bring it waaaay down the street so it'll never come back! All right?"

Both Anyame and Yuki thought this over for a minute. By the time they both nodded, Raye and Michio had joined them in the hall behind their mommy.

"All right!" Yuki agreed, nodding, his lips tightly pressed together and his eyebrows drawn. "Now Mommy, kills it!"

"No killing!" Anyame argued again. "Mommy is just gonna catch it and give it to Daddy."

"...Ooh."

Rukia smiled and began to walk forward again. After sending Michio into the kitchen to grab a glass jar, she stalked into the living room.

Only to come face to face with the _biggest_ spider in all of _eternity_.

It was huge, it was brown, and it scared the hell out of her.

"Mooommy!" Yuki hissed, jumping up and down at the end of the hall. "Get it, get it!"

Her son's encouragement wasn't helping much as she held a staring contest with Big-Brown-and-Ugly-sama. His huge legs scampered about and his pincher-like antenna ... _things_, wiggled at her. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands were shaking on the jar in her grasp. Suddenly, the quart-sized container didn't seem big enough to hold the monster-sized spider that stood in front of her.

"Hey, mom! Just scare him onto a solid surface and thunk the jar over him!" Michio advised, cupping his hands over his mouth as he yelled from the hall.

Rukia nodded and climbed up onto the back of the couch once the spider was on the coffee table. Loud shouts of encouragement from the five of her children who could speak distracted her only a little as she silently contemplated that, even though they were being so loud, none of them were helping with the actual _catching_ of the spider.

And then, all in less than three seconds, she lost her balance, fell down onto the front of the couch, and slammed the jar over the spider.

"Ah ha! I_ got_ it!"

Michio, Raye with Sanyu, Anyame, Kaname and Yuki ran into the room, jumping all over their Mommy and grinning happily at her accomplishment.

"Yay! Mommy won! Yay! Yay!"

Michio managed to drown out his little brother's voice as he looked up at Rukia. After wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug, he gabbed the top of the jar and screwed it on quickly.

"Thanks, Mom! That was one huge spider! You're_ awesome_!"

Rukia beamed at her children while they praised her as a "super spider catcher". Tired, she dropped into a chair, took Sanyu from Raye, and watched them oogle over said spider.

Turning the jar right side up, Michio inspected the wiggling, squiggling creature. "Wow, sooo cool!" he cried in awe, sitting down on the couch beside his sisters as they all stared in wonder at the jar and its occupant. Kaname and Yuki, however, were too busy debating what the spider would mutate into once it was let loose to actually stop and look at it.

**_Later that night..._**

Ichigo walked into the front door, and before he even had time to take off his socks or shoes, Rukia grinned brightly and stuck the spider infested jar in his face.

After screaming and stumbling back a few steps, he jumped to his feet to see five of his six children grinning at him widely behind their mother.

"What the hel... heck!?"

Rukia laughed softly, a smile gracing her lips.

"It's a spider, Ichigo. We're making you take it to the end of the road. Go, go. Shoo, shoo!"

"Why _me_?" he asked, sticking out his bottom lip as he glared at the spider.

"Because we've had to _stare at it_ all day, and none of us want anything more to do with it. Come on, buck up, be a man, and take it to the end of the road to let it loose."

"Yeah, daddy! Take Hiroko to the end of the road! He's gonna turn us all into mutant spiders if ya don't!"

Ichigo gave Rukia a funny look as he slowly took the spider jar from Rukia. "What _in the world_ has been going on here today?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just our normal, everyday routine. Now, take the spider away, Ichi! Or believe me, you're sleeping on the couch tonight. And no dinner for you!"

"... why did you _name_ it?"

"Because Yuki and Kaname wanted to. That, of course, led to a fight about whether it was a boy or a girl. I settled _that_ by making them pick something that is for both genders. Now, go _on_ already!"

"Going, going."

As Ichigo walked out of the door again, he could hear Yuki whimpering, "I didn't get to say bye bye!" and Rukia comforting him as he began to cry loudly.

Shaking his head, he stared in the glass at the spider. It blinked back at him—wait, can spiders even blink?—and scratched its feet against the glass.

"...Wow. I sure miss a lot when I'm gone, huh? Maybe I should tell Rukia to take a Girl's Day Out with Orihime. _I_ could watch the kids for a day..." He grinned to himself. "How hard could it be?"

**_The End_**

* * *

_Oh_, it can be _very_ hard, Ichigo! Believe me! I can't wait to see you do that!

**Next Up: **Ichigo taking care of the kids for a day! ... Maybe. I've tired writing this before, but it didn't work out. I'll try my best, thought!!  
**P.S.** Oh! Check out my new story, **Far Away**! I just got the first chapter up!  
**P.S.2. **Sorry for being so darn slow! I just started college, so updates will be a little slow. Sorry!

**_Please Review!_**


	5. Red Roses—Part I

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Ichigo and Rukia. I own... _(Takes deep breath)_ ...Michio, Raye, Anyame, Kaname, Yuki and Sanyu. Aki and Risa, and any other children I add in.  
I own the last portion of the rhyme!

* * *

_Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
I shed tears, my baby,  
I shed them for you._

* * *

**Snapshots V**

**_July 13th, 2015 — 7:30 AM_**

"I'm _sure_ it'll be fine, Rukia!" Ichigo said, for probably the sixth time as Rukia hesitated at the door. "Besides, Renji's comin' over today, so I'll have help. Go have fun with Tatsuki and Inoue!"

"I don't know... Sanyu's sick and... and Renji isn't any help! If anything, he'll make it worse. No, I should just stay home. Yuki cries whenever I leave now..." Rukia grabbed the phone, fully intending to cancel on the girls. But before she could dial, Ichigo took the phone out of her hands, leaned down, and kissed her.

Her eyes went wide for a second or two, and as soon as she had relaxed into the kiss, Ichigo broke it off, looking deeply into her eyes.

"_Go_. Take a break, have fun. I promise, we'll all be _mostly_ alive by the time you get back. Shoo!"

Rukia sighed deeply, then grabbed her backpack, which consisted of pajamas, a toothbrush and a sleeping bag, before smiling.

"Fine. But _call me_ if anything happens. And I mean anything, Ichigo. Paper-cuts and splinters count, too."

Rolling his eyes, he nodded.

"Now get lost before everyone wakes up and starts crying."

"But Yuki..."

"No buts! Leave! Now! Use Shunpo and call me when you get there, too. I'd bring you to Inoue's house if I could, but—"

"You have to watch the kids, I know. And I'm going..."

Ichigo shut the door firmly behind her, leaving no room for arguments. She was going to have fun for a day, and that was that. But still... Renji wasn't going to be any help, Rukia was right, and it was going to be one hell of a day/night.

"Mooommy!"

Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw Yuki walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Mommy's gone," he said simply, trying to lessen the shock for Yuki.

"M-mommy gone?" Yuki stuttered, his eyes filling with tears. Ichigo put the eggs he was planning on cooking down and bolted toward his tiny son. But Yuki started crying before he got there. "Uhhh... _waaah_! I want _Mommy_!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _This_... this was going to be a long day.

**_...Later That Day..._**

"I wanna eat ma bubbles!" Yuki whined, his loud, shrill voice almost droning out the sound of the doorbell. Ichigo, sighing deeply, grabbed Yuki under one arm and Sanyu under the other. Both boys were stark naked and covered in bubble bath, but neither seemed to care as they giggled and wiggled.

"Coming!" Ichigo yelled as the doorbell rang again. He ran as fast as he could, barefoot, across the slippery floor. His jeans and T-shirt were soaked—he needed to change.

_Ding-dong_.

Door first. Door first. Door fir—

"_Kaname,_ stop drawing on the wall! Anyame, off that bookshelf...!" Ichigo yelled loudly, finally reaching the front door and pulling it open.

"..."

"..."

"What the hell is _he_ doing here, Renji?" Ichigo asked, addressing the red-haired man, but speaking of his children's stuck-up, noble uncle.

"Ah... he followed me?"

"Do not make me seem as a mere dog," Byakuya said, frowning and walking inside the Kurosaki home.

It, of course, took less than three seconds before he was ambushed by his two older nephews and both of his nieces. Kaname was covered in marker markings from head to toe, and Anyame had webs in her hair from her hiking adventure up the bookshelf.

"Uncle Bya-kun!" Kaname yelled, bouncing up and down. "Bya-kun! Bya-kun!"

Sanyu, who was wiggling his naked little self around in Ichigo's arms, giggled and began to chant, "Bya bya bya!"

Ichigo sighed, rolled his eyes, and handed Yuki, in all his naked glory, to Renji.

"Drop him, and I'll kill you, understand? Careful; he's slippery," Ichigo said, his voice firm but a smile on his lips. Renji nodded quickly, but glanced uneasily down at the little boy. Yuki smiled, his violet eyes closing as he showed off his teeth.

"Ren-Ren!" he yelled.

"I am _not_ Ren-Ren!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _Again_.

"All right, that's enough! Kids—those of you who are _dressed_—into the kitchen, into _your_ seats, and not Yuki's, even though it _is _up higher. Renji! Follow me and help dress Yuki and Sanyu. Byakuya, I'm appointing you as watchdog. Make sure no children get into lunch before we're back, and make sure everyone stays alive for the next five minutes."

Ichigo smirked as he walked into the nursery. Halfway there, he turned to his friend. "... Ren-Ren?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut _up_, carrot head."

Ichigo just laughed.

**_...Ishida Home..._**

"Oooh, I should just go home. Sanyu has a cold, Yuki cries when I'm not home, and... and..."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes, but smiled at her small friend as she paced across the floor.

"Oh, it'll be fine, Rukia-san!" Orihime chirped happily, clipping her hair in place before dropping down on her sleeping bag. She smiled widely and brushed her light brown hair behind her ears. "I left Aki and Risa with Uryuu at his fathers, and I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides, Kurosaki-kun has help today, right?"

"Oh, nooo... Renji is going to totally wreck the house!"

"Rukia, sit!"

The small, raven haired girl dropped immediately onto her dark purple, fluffy sleeping bag, her hands folding in her lap as she looked over to the source of the voice.

Tatsuki was smiling.

"Chill, Rukia-san. The kids will be fine. Ichigo's capable."

"Not with six children!"

"..." However, Tatsuki couldn't come up with a reply. So, finally, she said, "Well, maybe... Oh! And I have good news. I wanted to wait until later to tell everyone, but as we're on the subject of children already..."

Orihime looked curiously at her childhood friend, who was blushing a little as she played with the material of her plain, blue T-shirt.

"Well?" Rukia asked, poking Tatsuki in the shoulder playfully. The dark haired, karate girl smiled, then started,

"Well, me and Renji have been trying for a year or so now... andI'mpregnant," she said quickly. Orihime was confused for a second, but Rukia got it immediately.

"Oh, wow! Congratulations! How far along? Have you seen it on an ultrasound yet? Have you told Renji?"

"... A baby?" Orihime asked excitedly. "Amazing! I was getting worried, since you'd been trying so long..."

Tatsuki blinked a few times, shocked from the amount of attention she was getting from her friends, but soon began answering the questions. "Yes, I'm pregnant with a _baby_, Orihime," she joked softly. "I'm seven weeks in, yes, Renji knows, no we haven't seen it on an ultrasound yet, and somehow, Renji's already picked out names."

"Name_s_?"

"One in case it's a girl, on for it's a boy," Tatsuki answered Rukia's question. The mother of six relaxed a little.

"Oh, I thought you were having twins... _that's_ a nightmare."

Tatsuki laughed, then said, "All right, now Rukia, your turn to spill the beans. Something's bothering _you_. You've been jumpy, pale and just... different since last week. Tell us everything _now_."

Rukia sighed; she wasn't getting out of this one, especially not if Tatsuki was the drill Sergeant. So, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I...—"

She was cut off when the phone rang, and she didn't bother so continue as Orihime jumped up to answer it. But, in less than a second, a look of shock passed over her face and she called for Rukia.

Somehow, Rukia knew that there was bad news on the other end.

**_...Kurosaki Home..._**

"Kaname, the carrots go in your _mouth_, not Anyame's hair. Yuki, sit down, quit standing, and hold still. Michio, would you please give Sanyu his bottle—after putting his cold medicine in it? And Raye... thank you for being a good girl." Ichigo paused and took a deep breath in, as his previous four sentences had been said in one breath alone. "And Renji...

"..._stop_ putting your carrots back in the pan!"

"I don't like 'em."

"_I_ don't care. I swear, I'd give you a timeout..."

"Tatsuki's pregnant."

"But I think you're—... huh?"

"Tatsuki's pregnant," Renji repeated. "Do I need to draw a diagram?"

"Uh..." Ichigo shook his head. "No, no diagram. I don't even want to know how _that_ came about."

In less than three seconds, half a bold of carrots was launched at his head for being perverted. Ichigo ducked, and the bowl flew straight forward and slammed into Sanyu's stomach. The baby began screaming loudly, and Renji jumped up from his seat, apologizing quickly.

No one moved for several seconds, and the only sounds were Sanyu's crying and Yuki's spoon dropping surprise.

Finally, Ichigo seemed to realize what had happened. Grumbling a few choice words under his breath, he quickly picked Sanyu out of the high-chair and set him on the table, undoing his overalls and pulling his shirt up to make sure the baby's tummy was all right.

It wasn't.

"Damn it, Renji! He's gonna be bruised for a week," Ichigo said, then spoke softly to Sanyu to try and calm him down. "Michio, grab a bag of ice, and a clean pair of clothes for Sanyu and follow me into the living."

"Can I help?" Renji asked, picking up the bowl and setting it back on the table.

"No. Stay here," Ichigo snapped.

Michio quickly did as he was told, and brought the bag of ice to his father before running into the nursery. He could still hear Sanyu's shrieks of pain in the other side of the house as he grabbed a diaper, diaper wipes and a T-shirt of Yuki's—He knew that his Dad would want to check Sanyu's tummy every thirty minutes or so, and a large T-shirt would be easiest.

"Here, Dad," he said, handing the things over. Ichigo nodded his thanks, but his attention was on Sanyu. Michio, sensing that Daddy was indeed mad, bolted back into the kitchen, where all four of his other siblings, Renji and Uncle Byakuya were watching around the corner, concerned.

"Is he really pissed?" Renji asked, staring at Michio. The little boy nodded, and Renji sighed. "I am _so_ dead."

Ichigo, having cleaned and dressed Sanyu, stood up from the couch, holding the baby in his arms, the ice pack pressed firmly against his tummy. He was still frowning as he walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Hey, can I talk to Rukia?" he said gently after a few seconds—Orihime had picked up the phone. Finally, he spoke again.

"Hey, Rukia, something happened."

He talked for a few more minutes before hanging up.

"I convinced her not to come home," he said, "But she wants me to bring Sanyu to her. I'll be back in a minute or two. Byakuya, watch everyone, please. Renji, go sit in the living room. Don't even get _near_ any of my children, got that?"

Ichigo walked out the door after grabbing the diaper bag, and only a blur was seen as he ran off, using Shunpo.

**_...Ishida House..._**

Rukia answered the door, quickly taking her tiny son from his father. She lifted the shirt he was wearing, and gasped at the purple and green bruises already spreading across his skin.

"Should we take him to a doctor?" Ichigo asked her worriedly. "The bruises weren't that bad when I left, and he started crying again when we were almost here. I don't know... maybe it's a broken rib? It could even be internal bleeding... but most likely not..."

Rukia pressed her fingers lightly to Sanyu's stomach, and the baby shrieked louder, gasping for breath, his arms waving frantically around in the air. His cries, however, were loud enough to bring Tatsuki and Orihime into the room worriedly.

"Is he all right, Rukia-san?" Tatsuki asked.

Rukia just shook her head, then replied softly, "Um... can I borrow your phone, Orihime-san? I'm gonna call the hospital, and see if they think we should bring him in."

In less than ten minutes, Rukia was hanging up the phone, a grim look on her face.

"Bring him in?" Ichigo guessed.

Rukia nodded and gently wrapped her baby up in a soft blanket before gripping him tightly to her chest.

"Want to use my car?" Tatsuki asked gently, worried for the small child.

Ichigo shook his head.

"No, Shunpo is faster. Meet us at the hospital?"

The two other girls nodded, then Ichigo and Rukia were gone.

**_...At the Hospital..._**

Nearly an hour later, everyone was gathered in the hospital waiting room, and Ichigo held Rukia in his arms while the doctor spoke to them. He wanted to cry as badly as she did, but he knew he had to be strong. For her, and for the rest of his family.

"Even a small impact—such as a bowl to the chest and stomach, in your case—is enough to break bones in a baby. Even more so since the object was thrown from an adult. The force more than doubled because of that. If it had been thrown from another child, like we usually see in family situations, it most likely wouldn't have resulted in broken ribs."

"Is he going to be all right?" Rukia asked, hastily wiping her tears away as she stared at the doctor.

"At this time, we don't know. One of the broken ribs punctured his lung while he was flailing about, and he is having trouble breathing. We're taking him into surgery to repair the collapsed lung as soon as he's stable. Would you like to be with him before that?"

Rukia nodded quickly, and Ichigo gripped her hand as they walked into the trauma room. Renji made a move to follow, but one look from Ichigo stopped him.

They were led into a small room where Sanyu laid among sheets of white. There was no blood, but he was hooked up to several machines, and he had several tubes in his body to help him breathe; he was sleeping.

They'd only been with him three minutes when one of the nurses spoke.

"The patient's been stabilized, doctor. We can move him now."

"All right. Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-san, we have to move Sanyu. You can watch from the observation room, if you like," the doctor said, pulling up the metal railings on the side of Sanyu's hospital bed before wheeling it out of the room.

Rukia followed immediately, not wanting to leave Sanyu's side for even one second, but Ichigo hung behind, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Hey, Ichigo—"

"Leave me alone!" he yelled, turning and coming face to face with Renji. The other man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"C'mon, man. It was an _accident_. Will you at least tell me what's happening? You know I didn't mean to hurt the little guy, and I feel horrible about this."

"Accident or not," Ichigo said, finally moving his gaze to meet that of his friends, "My son is about to have surgery, and if he... if he dies, it's gonna hurt us more than you can believe. After what happened with Raye... "

Ichigo paused, turned his back and began to walk off.

"...if he doesn't make it, I'll kill you."

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

_Ooo...k_... this is where I get in trouble, right? Oh, and I updated **Far Away** a day or so ago, so if you're following it and haven't read the update, the link is in my profile. XD

**_—NOTE about Raye—_  
**I had one question about what happened to Raye(As mentioned in this chapter): In **Whispers In Your Heart**, the prequel to this, she died, but somehow came back in the end. I won't say any more in case some people haven't read **Whispers** and **Shadows**.

**_Please Review!_**


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